Big crowd on hand at Ipswich 300

THE Coates Hire Ipswich 300 delivered a big crowd of 50,425 despite early morning rain, 12,499 more people piling into Queensland Raceway than last year.

V8 Supercars Chief Executive Officer Martin Whitaker said it was a great vote of confidence for the event and the sport.

"We are delighted with the turnout which shows V8 Supercars is enormously popular in this region which is very much a heartland of motorsport," Whitaker said.

"It's been really great to see the hill packed full of families enjoying the weekend despite the heavy rain that began the day and lets not forget the fact that the Brisbane Exhibition has been part of the considerations when planning the family spending.

"For those reasons this great crowd has been very, very well received. And I might add they've had a fantastic weekend with great racing on the track and terrific entertainment off it."

Queensland Transport Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said the crowd was an endorsement for the Government's support of the event continuing in Ipswich under the management of V8 Supercars.

"We know that events such as the Coates Hire Ipswich 300 are good for fans, good for jobs and great for the local economy," Minister Palaszczuk said.

"It's been a tough year for Ipswich so far but these events provide a much needed boost for our community. The significant increase in crowd numbers this year show the Ipswich community supports this great partnership between the Queensland Government, Ipswich City Council and V8 Supercars."

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale was instrumental in convincing V8 Supercars to return to the privately owned Queensland Raceway in a three-year agreement from this year.

"The new format of V8 Supercars and Superbikes drew fans of two and four wheels to Queensland Raceway, including many first time visitors to the Ipswich Motorsport Precinct at Willowbank.

"Crowd numbers are numbers are up on last year.

"Ipswich City Council will continue to work in partnership with V8 Supercars and Events Queensland to draw an even bigger crowd next year," Cr Pisasale said.

The V8 Supercar Championship Series now moves to the first of the endurance events - the L&H 500 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix track on September 16-18.